Fluid and paste dispenser

ABSTRACT

A bag-type fluid and paste dispenser in the form of a rigid elongate housing having a dispensing valve at one end and having a collapsible bag therein containing the fluid or paste material to be dispensed, and in which the fluid or paste material within the bag is pressurized by a resilient means and means within the container releasably immobilizing resilient means in its tensioned state, and a cartridge for filling or refilling the container.

Unite States Patent 1191 fiolien Oct. 1, 1974 FLUIID AND PASTE DISPENSER 2,744,658 5/1956 Hoover 222/326 x 1761 Inventor: Milton 1504849201 Persimmon 35353;; 151132; 52321211213133 111155333 Tree Potomac 20854 3,412,900 11/1968 Macaulay 222/82 [22] Filed: Aug. 13, 1973 Primary Examiner-Evon C. Blurik [21] Appl 387705 Assistant ExaminerJames M. Slattery Related US. Application Data [63] lC;);1;inuation-in'part of Scr. No. 308,548, Nov. 21, [57] ABSTRACT A bag-type fluid and paste dispenser in the form of a 52 us. c1. 222/105 222/387 rigid elongate housing having a dispensing Valve [51 11m. (:1 1365a 35/56 end and having a COHaPSible bag therein containing [58] Field Of Search 222/38 7 325 326 340 fluid or Paste material to be dispensed and the or paste material the d pressurized by a resilient means and means within the container releasably immobilizing resilient means in its [56] References Cited tensioned state, and a cartridge for filling or refilling UNITED STATES PATENTS the wmamer 1,303,845 5/1919 Blair .1 222/387 x 13 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures FLUID AND PASTE DISPENSER This is a continuation-impart of my copending US. Pat. application Ser. No. 308,548, filed Nov. 21, 1972, and entitled Bag Type Fluid Dispenser and Method for Loading the Same.

This invention relates to a non-aerosol type fluid or paste dispenser, which makes use of mechanical pressure generated by a flexible bag for ejection of the paste or fluid in response to release by a manually operable valve.

In the aforementioned copending application, description is made of a rigid dispensing container having a flexible diaphragm secured at its periphery to the open upper end of the container. The container is subsequently sealed by a closure fitted with a dispensing valve. The diaphragm is stretched to substantially line the inner wall of the container and it is retained in the stretched condition by a latching means provided in the bottom wall of the container, releasably to grip an element projecting from the bottom side of the diaphragm when the diaphragm is in stretched position.

Fluid or paste material, to be dispensed from the container, is introduced into the interior of the stretched diaphragm through the open upper end of the container, in an amount substantially to fill the container. Thereafter, the cover is mounted in sealed relation to close the upper end of the container, to complete the dispensing package in which the fluid or paste to be dispensed is housed in sealed relation within the container but without subjecting the material to pressure.

The filler container can be stored, shipped, or displayed in the pressureless state thereby to avoid loss due to leakage, marring the appearance of the container due to leakage of content material, or danger of explosion due to internal pressures.

When it is desired to place the container into operation for dispensing content material, the latch is operated from the outside to release its grip .on the diaphragm thereby to release the stretched diaphragm for normal return to its relaxed position. Thus the diaphragm becomes effective to impose pressure on the fluid or paste contained therein whereby such fluid or paste is ejected from the container in response to the operation of the valve and in amounts controlled thereby.

It is an object of this invention to provide a nonaerosol type fluid and paste dispenser of the type described in the aforementioned application, which is adapted to enable useof a filler for reinsertion into the container, in which the replaceable filler is capable of re-loading the pressurizing means for ejection of material in response to valve operation, in which spring means canbe substituted for the flexible diaphragm as the pressurizing means to enable use of a flexible sealed bag for housing the fluid orpaste to be dispensed, and in which means are embodied in theenclosure forestablishing communication between the content material and the dispensing valve for enabling ejection of material in response to valve operation.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will hereinafter appear and, for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional elevational view of the loaded dispenser in which use ismade of a sealable bag of flexible material for housing the fluid or paste to be dispensed;

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevational view of the housing portion of the dispenser shown in FIG. 1, illustrating the ram means for loading the pressurizing member;

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional elevational view of a modification of the invention showing a replaceable cartridge in which the fluid or paste material is enclosed within a flexible sealed bag which, in turn, is housed within a rigid container that is capable of reactivation of the pressurizing means :in response to insertion of the cartridge into position of use within the dispenser; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional elevational view similar to that of FIG. 1, showing a modification wherein use is made of a spring-like member as the pressurizing means.

Referring now to the drawings, the loaded container is shown in FIG. 1, in which the fluid or paste 10 to be dispensed is housed in a sealable flexible bag 12 dimensioned to be received within the body portion of the rigid housing 14 of the type described in the afore-mentioned application.

The housing 14 is in the form of a cylindrical member 16, closed at the bottom end by a bottom wall 18 and open at thetop. The open top is adapted to be sealed by a removable cover 20 secured in sealing relationship about the open end of the housing. Various conventional clamping means can be employed releasably to secure the cover 20 onto the housing. In the illustrated modification, the housing is provided with screw threads 22 about the outer wall, adjacent the upper end, for threaded engagement with screw threads 74 provided in the inner \wall of an annular flange portion 26, extending downwardly from "the periphery of the cover 20, to enable the cover to be screwed onto and off of the housing.

In this modification, wherein the content material is housed within a sealed flexible bag 12, the cover is provided with a dispensing valve 28 of the type conventionally employed in aerosol containers, which has a hollow needle or shaft 30 which extends downwardly from the valve for a distance greater than the spaced relation between the valve 28 and the upper end of the housing 14, so that the needle or shaft will pierce the bag 12 and extend into the interior thereof when the cover is secured in position of use onto the open end of the housing.

The pressurizing resilient diaphragm 32 is secured in sealing relation to span the open end of the housing, as described in the aforementioned patent application. Instead, the diaphragm 32 can be provided with a rigid sealing member 33 in the form of an annular member constructedof metal, plastics, and the like, having a cylindrical portion 34 adapted tobe received in fitting relation about the upper end of the housing and within the annular threaded portion 24 of the cover, with the cylindrical section 34 beinginternally and externally threadedfor threadedinter-engagement with thehousing 14 and the cover 20 to effect an assembled relationship therebetween.

The diaphragm 32 is provided on its top side, in the mid-section, with an attached rigid disc plate 36 of .wood,,metal, or plastics to which the latching member 38 is secured, and which is adaptedto receivethe force of the means for ramming the diaphragm to its stretched position within the housing.

In operation, the housing 14 with the diaphragm 32 secured in sealing relation over the open upper end, is positioned in a press or holder in axial alignment with a ram mounted for axial displacement relative to the housing, as described in the aforementioned parent application. The ram is dimensioned to have a cross section less than the cross section of the interior of the housing and a stroke sufficient to engage the disc plate 36 and effect its axial displacement through the length of the housing.

The diaphragm 32 becomes extended during downward displacement of the disc plate 36, and it is retained in the stretched position by the hold-down knob 38 which becomes releasably engaged, as by passage through the opening 39 in the bottom wall 18, responsive to displacement of the disc plate to the extended position. Thus the stretched diaphragm 32 is releasably retained in its tensioned position more or less as a lining about the inner wall of the housing.

The flexible bag 12, filled with the fluid or paste to be dispensed, can merely be dropped through the open end of the housing for receipt within the cavity defined by the stretched diaphragm.

Thereafter, the cover is screwed onto the housing and the needle either pierces the bag as the assembled relationship is established, or use can be made of a conventional spring release for releasing the needle to pierce the bag when the container is readied for dispensing operation.

Until the latching member 38 is released, the fluid or paste material is retained within the bag in a completely pressureless state, so that no leakage will occur, no

danger of explosion or bursting of the container exists,

and accidental dispensing of content material is avoided during packaging, transportation, or storage.

When it is desired to pressurize the content material for dispensing, in response to valve operation, the button 38 extending through the opening 39 on the bottom side of the container, can be operated to release the disc plate 36. The elastic memory of the stretched diaphragm imposes a continuing pressure on the bag and the fluid or paste material contained therein to pressurize such material until the diaphragm returns to its released position. Ejection of the pressurized fluid or paste is thereafter controlled by the dispensing valve 28.

When, after the content material has been dispensed and the bag is practically empty, the diaphragm has automatically returned to its released position. The container can be re-loaded with a cartridge of the type il- 'lustrated in FIG. 3 wherein a flexible bag 12, containing the fluid or paste material to be dispensed, is housed within a rigid container 40 of cylindrical shape, formed of metal, plastics, or laminate. The outer container 40 is dimensioned to have a length greater thanthe length of the interior of the housing 14 and a cross section which corresponds to that of the ram or of slightly less diameter than the interior diameter of the housing, and preferably less than the dimension of the disc plate 36, with the container 40 being open at one end.

In order to reload the dispenser, the cover 20 is unscrewed, the emptied bag 12 is removed, and the new cartridge is inserted through the open top end of the housing 14, with the open end 42 of the container facing downwardly. As the container is displaced axially into the housing, as in the manner of the ram, the disc plate 36 is engaged by the container 40 for axial displacement until the disc plate reaches the bottom end portion of the housing in position to enable reactivation of the latching means. responsive to displacement of the disc plate to operative position. This again places the diaphragm under tension, in which state it is releasably retained by the reactivated latching means. By reason of its greater length, a portion of the re-loading container 40 will project beyond the open end of the housing 14 whereby it can be grasped and raised for removal of the housing, leaving the bag 20 in the portion enclosed by the stretched diaphragm. The cover is screwed back onto the open end of the housing with the needle 30 in position to pierce the bag. The dispenser is thus re-loaded for use in the conventional manner, as previously described for the original dispenser.

The diaphragm 32 can be replaced by a coil spring 50, as shown in FIG. 4, in which the coil spring is dimensioned to have an external diameter which is less than the cross-sectional dimension between the inner walls of the housing 14 and a central bore having a cross section which is greater than the cross section of the bag 12 filled with content material. As a result, the coils of the spring will be received within the space between the bag 12 and the walls of the housing. The disc plate 36 is fixed to the bottom end of the coil spring while an outwardly extending annular flange 52 is fixed to the upper end of the spring to project over the open upper end of the housing or into a slot 54 provided in the upper end portion of the housing.

In operation, the ram or cartridge, as the case may be, is inserted as previously described through the open end of the housing into engagement with disc plate 36.

During axial displacement of the ram or cartridge, the disc plate 36 is displaced toward the bottom of the housing with corresponding distension of the coil spring until the disc plate is in latching position. At such time, the knob 38 is releasably engaged to hold the disc plate in operative position with the spring 50 extending through the length of the housing.

When a ram is used, the ram can be removed and the filled bag inserted. When the cartridge is used, the container 40 can be removed to leave the bag 12 within the housing between the stretched spring coils. The cover can be screwed back onto the open end of the housing to complete the assembly, as previously described. The bag 12 is retained within the dispenser in a pressureless state until the disc plate 36 is released by the latching means. Thereafter, the spring is freed to pressurize the content material through the engaging disc plate.

It will be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement, and operation without departing from the spirit of the invention, especially as defined in the following claims.

The claims:

1. In a bag-type fluid and paste dispenser comprising a rigid housing open at one end and closed at the other, a collapsible sealed bag dimensioned to be received within the housing and which contains the fluid or paste material to be dispensed, a closure releasably secured over the open end of the housing and having a dispensing valve, a hollow tubular member extending from the dispensing valve into the interior of the housing for piercing the bag when in position of use to communicate the fluid or paste with the dispensing valve, means for pressurizing the fluid and paste material within the bag comprising a resilient member secured at its outer portions to the upper end of the housing with an intermediate portion thereof extendable between normally released position at one end of the housing to tensioned position at the opposite end of the housing, a rigid disc plate secured to said intermediate portion for move ment therewith between released position and ten sioned position, and a releasable latch securing the disc plate in tensioned position.

2. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which the housing is of cylindrical shape.

3. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which the bag is formed of a plastic or rubber-like material which is impervious to the fluid or vapors of the fluid or paste contained therein.

4. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which the closure is releasably secured to the upper end of the housing by means of screw threads provided in the adjacent walls of the closure and housing.

5. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which the resilient means comprises a stretchable diaphragm secured at its periphery to the upper end portion of the housing.

6. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which the re silient means comprises a coil spring, having a flanged portion at its outer periphery and means for securing the flanged portion to the upper end portion of the housing.

7. A dispenser asclaimed in claim 1 in which the releasable latch comprises a member fixed to the bottom side of the disc plate and an engaging member extending inwardly from the bottom wall and operable from outside the bottom wall.

8. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said bag is formed of a material which is impervious to the fluid or paste.

9. A filler as claimed in claim 1 in which the bag is formed of a flexible plastic or rubber-like material.

10. A filler as claimed in claim 1 in which the bag is formed of foldable side walls. t

11. For use in loading a bag-type dispenser in the form of a housing which can be opened at one end and closed at the other, and in which a resilient tensioning member is provided adjacent the open end for displacement between normally relaxed position and extended tensioned position, a cartridge comprising:

a rigid container open at one end and dimensioned to telescope into the housing through its open end. said open end of the rigid container in operative engagement with the resilient "tensioning means to effect displacement to an extended position responsive to movement of the rigid container into the housing; and

a collapsible bag filled with the fluid or paste disposed within the rigid container for loading said dispenser as the rigid container effects displacement of the tensioning means.

12. A cartridge as claimed in claim 11 in which the rigid container is dimensioned to have a length greater than the length of the housing so that a portion of the container will project from the housing when the resilient member is displaced to extended position and the container can be removed from the housing to leave the bag within the housing in the area between the extended and relaxed position.

13. A cartridge as claimed in claim 11 in which a disc plate for exerting pressure on said bag is secured to the resilient tensioning member for movement therewith and the open end of the rigid container has a crosswise dimension less than the crosswise dimension of the disc plate thereby to engage the disc plate for extending the resilient member during telescoping movement. 

1. In a bag-type fluid and paste dispenser comprising a rigid housing open at one end and closed at the other, a collapsible sealed bag dimensioned to be received within the housing and which contains the fluid or paste material to be dispensed, a closure releasably secured over the open end of the housing and having a dispensing valve, a hollow tubular member extending from the dispensing valve into the interior of the housing for piercing the bag when in position of use to communicate the fluid or paste with the dispensing valve, means for pressurizing the fluid and paste material within the bag comprising a resilient member secured at its outer portions to the upper end of the housing with an intermediate portion thereof extendable between normally released position at one end of the housing to tensioned position at the opposite end of the housing, a rigid disc plate secured to said intermediate portion for movement therewith between released position and tensioned position, and a releasable latch securing the disc plate in tensioned position.
 2. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which the housing is of cylindrical shape.
 3. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which the bag is formed of a plastic or rubber-like material which is impervious to the fluid or vapors of the fluid or paste contained therein.
 4. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which the closure is releasably secured to the upper end of the housing by means of screw threads provided in the adjacent walls of the closure and housing.
 5. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which the resilient means comprises a stretchable diaphragm secured at its periphery to the upper end portion of the housing.
 6. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which the resilient means comprises a coil spring, having a flanged portion at its outer periphery and means for securing the flanged portion to the upper end portion of the housing.
 7. A dispenser as claImed in claim 1 in which the releasable latch comprises a member fixed to the bottom side of the disc plate and an engaging member extending inwardly from the bottom wall and operable from outside the bottom wall.
 8. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said bag is formed of a material which is impervious to the fluid or paste.
 9. A filler as claimed in claim 1 in which the bag is formed of a flexible plastic or rubber-like material.
 10. A filler as claimed in claim 1 in which the bag is formed of foldable side walls.
 11. For use in loading a bag-type dispenser in the form of a housing which can be opened at one end and closed at the other, and in which a resilient tensioning member is provided adjacent the open end for displacement between normally relaxed position and extended tensioned position, a cartridge comprising: a rigid container open at one end and dimensioned to telescope into the housing through its open end, said open end of the rigid container in operative engagement with the resilient tensioning means to effect displacement to an extended position responsive to movement of the rigid container into the housing; and a collapsible bag filled with the fluid or paste disposed within the rigid container for loading said dispenser as the rigid container effects displacement of the tensioning means.
 12. A cartridge as claimed in claim 11 in which the rigid container is dimensioned to have a length greater than the length of the housing so that a portion of the container will project from the housing when the resilient member is displaced to extended position and the container can be removed from the housing to leave the bag within the housing in the area between the extended and relaxed position.
 13. A cartridge as claimed in claim 11 in which a disc plate for exerting pressure on said bag is secured to the resilient tensioning member for movement therewith and the open end of the rigid container has a crosswise dimension less than the crosswise dimension of the disc plate thereby to engage the disc plate for extending the resilient member during telescoping movement. 